M A T E
by Devilishasshole
Summary: OOC A girl comes face to face with her online love only to find that he's more than what meets the eye and possibly a danger. Werewolves, vampires and violence...oh my.
1. First sight

**A/N- STORY FINALLY COMPLETED. Replaced Sasuke with Itachi and changed many of the details because they are different personalities. I don't know why but I'm going through this Itachi phase...no one understands the pain lol. Anyway I hope that you all give this story a chance and please review and suggest anything you want. I respect your input and your time to write the note. Thanks for reading, enjoy!**

* * *

She had done it and without a seconds thought, without a moment spared to weigh out the pro's and con's as she would have usually done.

She sighed, staring earnestly out at the abyss-like scenery the windows offered, the subway grind along the pathway of rusted metal rails with a screech. This would be her first time on it alone, without one of her sisters quizzing her about everything under the sun or her mother tagging along. She closed her eyes briefly and then ran her thumb absentmindedly over the grainy picture in her hand. The picture brought a ghostly grin to her face. It was a frail old photo of a symbol.

_'Just wanted a reason to send you something, took the photo yesterday.'_

Were the words written on the back of the photo. It came in the mail a year ago when she was eighteen. Her mother opened it and had been ready to toss it out in the trash as she had most things that came through the mail but Sakura had seen it by chance and rescued it from the line up. She plucked it up and spotted the symbol, it was so beautiful, the red burst vibrantly from the black and white photo. He claimed that it had been remedial photography but to her it had been one of the best pictures she had ever seen.

She could tell it was altered professionally, the picture of the Uchiwa sitting on top of a coffee table, propped against a decorative mug.

Since then the girl had fallen in love with it and the idea of meeting the photographer responsible, the man whom she had been confiding in since she was sixteen through numerous I.M conversations and Email. They had planned a meeting then but she was just too young to travel alone and their age difference had been quite a stretch. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable although she had told him plenty of times that it wouldn't be a problem, he insisted saying that he would wait for her, until he could legally be with her. Most would find it indecent that an elder man sought out a young girl's company but she refused to be that narrow minded. She saw it as two people genuinely pleased and comfortable with one another. They could talk for hours and still have more to say. It was as though it was supposed to be that way.

_Age shouldn't have mattered.._

Back then Sakura was confused about just what he meant by that email but now, at the age of nineteen, she knew the feeling of wanting...craving him. After talking to him for so long all she wanted to do was see him and spend time with him, to touch him and know he really did exist. She wanted to see the man who accompanied her through emails when she was lonely. They had shared so many dreams and thoughts with one another that she was certain he had known her in a way that no one else had.

He knew her in a way that he didn't have to see her face to know what she was feeling. Her words were like the cords of an instrument...if he sensed that a note was off or that the wrong string was plucked...he knew the words to make it better, to save the song.

Sakura had always lost herself to his patience and understanding, his jokes...his mildly dirty humor he liked to tease her with at times. He was too good to be true and she was scared, scared that she would be right.

It had been summer in Konohagakure but in this area of the city it had always been cold, even during the summer, most people migrated from Uchiwa Valley in favor of the main route, to work on tans and hook up.

_From what I hear Uchiwa valley doesn't have a lot of tourist because of all the wild animals..._

She covered the picture with her sweaty palm and tugged at the collar of woolly cinnamon brown jacket. It had been chilly and her skin had already turn into goose flesh. Her hair had been tied into a bun, she wanted to look mature at least although she was certain that she was more mature than most people her age. She wasn't rebellious or rambunctious, she couldn't afford to be with her mother always gone; she held down the fort when her mother had been busy between her work and meetings. Sakura took care both of her kid sisters and not once had either of them been unkempt or harmed.

This summer she just wanted it to be about her for once, she had done plenty of family summers when her mother was granted the kindness of leave and she didn't have any dates lined up but this time, this summer she had promised herself she'd branch out and be unpredictable. She'd leave her hand held planner at home and do something out of character...do something without a plan for once.

_I stayed true to my word but...why am I having a hard time enjoying this.._

She only brought a duffel bag with very few clothes and she hadn't told anyone a thing. She knew that was taking quite a risk since she was going to meet a complete stranger. Sure she may have thought she knew him but the truth was anyone could say anything behind a computer screen and suffer no consequences. Plenty of crazy freaks prey on girls...lured them into some fantasy world and killed them remorselessly.

_No...not him...he's not like that...I hope.._

The girls head fell against the window and she watched the rails grind up a haze and sparks sprang up like popping grease.

There weren't many people on the train to Uchiwa valley, only the usual suited stiffs and a few randoms who were either reading a news paper, texting away on their cellphones or listening to music. Children colored in their coloring books and a mother rocked her infant child.

The Valley didn't get much attention since it had been rebuilt after the massacre of the sacred land it once was. The bulldozers had taken down most of the valley and planned to rebuild it to reflect the city of Konohagakure as a hold. Forrest rangers began to lock up the wild animals that lurked around but there were reports that all wolves were to be shot on spot. Most of the lives taken during the massacre had happened because of the feral beast.

No one really agreed about the change but the government insist that this is the next best step in order to contain the outbreak of violence from the speeches.

Sakura pulled her phone out of her duffel bag and stared at the screen.

**_10missed calls-Mom_**

**_7txt-Mom/Ino_**

**_Email_**

_I am here, waiting...give me enough time to find you before you come running. Ok._

_-Uchiha,I_

**_Reply_**

_:D, I can do that since I'm not much of a runner anyway and I may have a hard time knowing which random guy is you. I'm curious to know, if you could really know who I am...since we've never exchanged pics or described ourselves lol._

_-Haruno,S_

_**Email**_

_I know that you're not very tall._

_-Uchiha, I_

_**Reply**_

_Congrats you've narrowed down half the girls in Japan._

_-Haruno, S_

Email

_-_-, I have my ways...don't be surprised._

_-Uchiha,I_

**Reply**

_I'm eager to see..'your way'._

_-Haruno,S_

Sakura grinned and her heart began to stammer. She took a deep breath and felt a delightful tingle run down her spine. She sat up in her plastic seat and realized that the train was screeching to a halt. It was too soon they had arrived...and too soon because she wasn't sure that she could really do this, she was afraid and excited and...feeling a little sick.

"Uchiwa Valley!" Came the grunt-like bark of the driver through the speakers.

_Well...I guess...this is me..._

The girl stood to her feet after the train came to a complete stop. She slang her hello kitty duffel bag over a slumped shoulder and waited for a few people to pass her before she followed them out. She clinched onto her phone and took her first step onto the ground of the terminal. There were people everywhere. Loitering, awaiting others, ready to board. She stumbled into the commotion and tried to see over shoulders and make a maze to a less condensed area but there weren't any.

Her phone vibrated and she lifted it to her face.

**Email**

_Tag..._

_-Uchiha, I_

She frowned at the text.

_Tag?..._

**Reply**

_What's that supposed to mean?_

_-Haruno, S_

She then stuffed her phone in her duffel bag, she wouldn't find a way out if she continued to text and pretend she wasn't being dragged around by the haste movements. She stood on her toes and shifted her position to squeeze in between two cantankerous women examining the scheduling chart but something stopped her.

Something had her by a sleeve, she turned around and spotted a young man, bundled up and snug in a dark blue jacket. He had raven black locks of hair cascading over his shoulders and a subtle arrogance to his prominent features. His eyes were low and darker than dried out blood.

His deep set brows lowered and he pulled her in slowly as if drawing in a fish.

Sakura allowed him to pull her in, bewildered and dazed, the crowd seemed to fade in that moment. Her cheeks flushed red and she almost thought she'd fade to.

"Sakura...right?" he asked slightly uncertain, husk voice tickling her ears.

Sakura stared at his jaw, his lips...those dark dark eyes and she nodded.

"Hai..." she whispered with uncertainty. She hadn't been meaning to but her voice didn't seem to be working correctly...she wasn't getting enough breath.

The man smirked.

"Not what you were expecting?" he asked his fingers drifted down her arm to her hands and he grabbed her bag.

"No...it's quite the opposite actually...you...r...your..."

_Impossibly HOT!...amazingly sexy...unbelievably beautiful...HOTTT! How did I get so lucky...how did a guy like you wind up in that chatroom..._

"...how did you know it was me..."

"Well, out of everyone on that bus, even out of the children...you were shorter." he joked with a sinful smirk, a haze of smoke came from his mouth and he licked his lips. Sakura grinned and elbowed him playfully.

"That was a ridiculous lie...how did you really know?"

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes looked up from her neck to her face and he leaned forward.

"I'll let you in on a secret...granted, it's not that much of a secret but...I've read every email...sometimes, I read them more than once if I'm bored or I think about you but can't talk to you at the moment. I remember reading one of your emails, you were younger..." he rolled his eyes and thought about the exact day.

"...sixteen, you were complaining about your forehead...well...I remember, being the compassionate guy that I am, I tried to cheer you up...but eh you were being difficult...a stubborn woman, no matter how many compliments I gave, you would shoot them down." he chuckled reverently and then raked his fingers through his hair. "So, I promised you the day we met, I'd do this..."

He leaned down and pressed his soft moist lips on her forehead. It caught Sakura off guard...her breath caught in her chest but her eyes closed. His fingers slid up the side of her face and then he released her after another second had passed.

Sakura's face turned bright red and she tingled from the head down.

"That still doesn't explai-" she objected timidly.

He grabbed her hand and began to usher her out of the horde.

"I'll explain later...let's get the hell out of here first...I don't know about you but I'm starving."

_I guess logically we should be in a public place...since we just met but for some reason I just wanted us to be alone with him, trapped in a room where no one could get in or out. _

_What?...it's not like I was going to sleep with him or anything...we've been talking longer than that, this wasn't just some trip so that I could have sex...and if he didn't know that I'd explain that to him. This was simply a meeting of friends...or whatever we are, we don't label it..and I don't want to force it...I like things the way they are between us. No need to mess it up. _


	2. Bloodless

**A/N-Thank you for all of the responses regarding the story. I hope that I don't disappoint you with this chapter. Yes there will be supernatural themes such as Witches, vampires and werewolves. Yes this story was uploaded once with an old name and very few chapters but I didn't feel inspired to finish it. Like most things I tend to loose my interest juice but this time I'm sticking with it(I've said that before) but I'm knee deep in this one! Itachi is 22 and Sakura's 19. Ok done with the fun facts, enjoy ^_^.**

* * *

**Txt message,**

_Are you ok? I saw the cops in your backyard yesterday...your mom looked pretty upset...what's going on? _

_hit me up ASAP!_

_-Ino_

* * *

"So...this is where you live...here...?"

"That's the same reaction I had at first too but...if you think this is bad wait until you see the inside."

Sakura stared up at the rustic cabin behind the picket fence which had been chipped and slanted into the foundation as if someone or something had tried to knock it over.

Her eyes widened and she took in the land bereft of most of the things her home excelled in, for instance; green grass, garden gnomes, soil, life, better houses, orderly fences and she never remembered the blue tint that flooded the atmosphere.

It was as though the cold had taken the form of pale blue and contaminated the city with it's sickly climate, it's haze of depression and yet...mystery. She felt like she was in a third world country rather than only a four hour subway ride from her home in central Konoha.

She wasn't expecting Uchiwa City to look anything like Konoha but she hadn't expected it to look like a wasteland either. There were trees in the background, behind the cabins but they weren't sheltered with much leaves, a layer of winter dust had accumulated onto the dark bark.

It was actually beautiful in an outlandish way, like a mini winter wonderland without all of the beautiful milky white snow. She noted to herself that it would make a good photo-postcard to send to mom once she settled in...and her mother forgave her for skipping out on a family summer.

She shivered and Itachi slammed the tailgate of his rusty Toyota truck shut, an echo erupted in the clearing and then a dogs bark responded in the distance. The wind howled and she trembled once more against it's acrid pressure which drew tears from her eyes with it's irritation. She had never been submerged into such cool temperatures. It always boggled her how it could be so cold and frosty in one place and be hot and humid in the other. The weather in Uchiwa valley was not being kind to her. Her nose had already felt numb and she was sure soon she'd loose all feeling and her nostrils would become a leaky faucet.

She felt Itachi at her side slowing his stride to match hers. He braced his hand around the strap of her hello kitty duffel bag slung over his shoulders. She couldn't decided whether she felt embarrassed for letting him carry it around or that she had 'borrowed' it from her little sister but he didn't seem to mind the haul. He had been easy going as she knew he'd be with his half smirk and his gentle tone. After they left the subway station they sat in the truck until the windshield defrosted. He cranked the heat up to hell and they thawed out in the car playing a game of, 'how was your trip here' and 'how did you expect me to look', all of the questions two people online would ask if they had just met one another for the first time.

Sakura thought she'd feel uneasy talking to him up close and personal but the truth was she was just as relaxed, he didn't look at her too much but when he thought she was occupied or didn't notice him she could see him watching her...feel the weight of his stare on her the entire time they sat in the restaurant just hours ago.

It was the strangest fluttery feeling in her stomach to catch him looking at her, it made her wonder what he was thinking and then a second later he was telling her that he was happy she showed and didn't stand him up or informing her that she'd probably be home sick since Uchiwa Valley differed a great deal from the customs she had been used to.

_Like sunlight..._

"Let's get inside you're looking blue." he said abruptly pulling her back into the present, bits of cold smoke curling from his mouth. She watched until that half smirk tugged derisively at his lips. "Do you wanna kiss?" he asked in a debonair way, so smoothly that she almost took him up on the offer, that is, until she realized what he asked. She rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to be as giddy as she felt. She turned away from his captivatingly scarlet dark eyes.

She blushed profusely, rolled her eyes and then began to walk away from him. To where, she didn't know but she couldn't just stand there and allow him to toy with her that way. He had always said things like that just because he knew it made her painfully awkward. Her reactions seemed to both amuse and entertain him, even online she knew that he got a kick out of frustrating her with dirty humor or sexist remarks about women.

"No, I'm freezing...and you don't even look cold...show off." She whined crossing her arms over her chest, letting out a huff of breath. He laughed and caught up to her with very few strides, he grabbed her hand swiftly.

"You're going the wrong way...it's this way." he uttered nudging his head in the correct direction and then, "I've lived here all my life, I'm used to the grueling below zero temperatures...you'll adjust soon or you'll just have to lie naked in front of the fireplace all day." He teased. Sakura couldn't help but to laugh at the thought of what he was suggesting.

She looked into his iridescent eyes and quickly adverted her eyes elsewhere a moment later.

"Tempting but I'll pass, nudity and fire sounds like a bad combination...plus I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea..about me, why I'm here."

He smirked and then his dark long lashes fluttered when he looked down.

"There's a wrong idea?" he inquired as if it had never crossed his mind that there could be. "I welcome wrong ideas...good ideas bore me, they're too safe."

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Typical of a jackass man to think that way."

"Typical Sakura...you're dropping the shy act this soon, I thought you'd keep it going at least until you were sick of me."

"...I was never shy...I was just being decent, I thought I should be nice since I'm going to be around you for two whole months. "

"...but we both know, your not nice, most of the time." he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Which is one of the reasons I like you."

He squeezed her hand, rubbing his thumb along the humps of her knuckles. His fingers were so hot, they seemed to radiate a warmth that made her hands clammy again. She licked her chap lips, trying to concentrate on something other than the paralyzing sound of her heart. She had plenty of boyfriends but none of them had ever evoked this feeling out of her. It was deeper than anything she had ever felt, no amount of preparation could prepare her heart for the climb and fall of this visit. It was like being on a rollercoaster. One that she never wanted to leave.

Sure they had just met in reality but it seems like it's been longer than that. It seemed as though every email they had ever written to one another had been a day they shared together.

He towed her towards the first cabin, it was no bigger than a tool shed, in fact the cabin was no bigger than any house she had ever seen but it wasn't ridiculously small either. Light flickered behind every window of the small cabin and a smog rose from the chimney. As they preceded a smell of hot yeast caught the tip of her frost bitten nose and she breathed it in wolfishly.

"Is someone in your house...?"

"Probably, since it isn't my house.." he answered carelessly.

Before she could ask him anything else they were at the door, it creaked open at the push of Itachi's knee and light flooded out to greet them with it's climate of life and promise of heat. The first thing she noticed once she was inside was that something smelled delicious like tomato, garlic and a variety of spices that had her mouth feeling bitter and ancient. The second thing she noticed was that there had been no furniture, only a worn away gashed up mattress in the center of the ground. Glossy magazines littered the uneven floorboard near the mattress some were tucked sloppily beneath it. The third thing she noticed was that a few rusted chains swung off the door knob, shackles. There was this underlying odor...something that she couldn't quite decipher but it made her stomach flop with it's putrid stench.

_Did something die in here...ugh_

"What...happened here...?" Sakura whispered staring around in dismay. "...I think someone got robbed."

Itachi stared around as well, his eyes trained on the snarling fire for a moment and then he looked into what she could only assume would be the kitchen. There was the smallest stove in a corner, the oven had it's light on and she could see a pan of something inside.

"I wish. At least the place would be cleaner...it's just Kakashi, this is his place...I wanted to stop by to give him his meds." Itachi held up a small black paper bag he pulled out of his jacket pocket.

"Oh so this is the landlord, the infamous Hatake Kakashi...when you said he lived like a dog I had no ide-"

_'aaaahmmm'_

Someone cleared their throat very loudly. Sakura flinched and nearly crashed into Itachi's back when her heart skipped a frantic beat in her chest. There was a shadow in the hall where the light couldn't reach. Sakura could see the figure stagger and then lean against a wall comfortably.

"Itachi...and company, so, does this one have a name...what's she doing here?" the mans voice called out firm and scolding.

"She's a friend...and that's none of your business, I picked up your drugs from the pharmacy..." He tossed the paper bag like a whip in Kakashi's direction, it rustled and flew across the room. The sluggish movements of the stranger made Sakura think that he wouldn't be able to maneuver quick enough to even skim the bag with his fingertips but to her utter surprise he caught it deftly. Snatching it out of the air almost in a blur of motion. Sakura was astonished and impressed.

The pills rattled about in the capsule like tiny rocks in a container as he opened the bag and looked inside. He chuckled.

"Good boy...were there any complications?"

"No, unfortunately."

Sakura thought both of them were being pretty rude to one another and their social skills were clearly off. she didn't want her presence to be remembered as unwanted company or an intrusion to whatever was going on.

"I'm Haruno Sakura..." she took a deep breath and stepped out of her comfort zone, that warm little place where she watched so many faces pass by and not once had she ever felt comfortable enough to put herself out there and introduce herself.

_It's time for a change..._

"Sakura, that's unnecessary." Itachi began dourly. Sakura ignored him and dried off her clammy palms on her jean skirt.

"Itachi told me a lot about you...Hatake Kakashi." She informed him looking at his shadow wishing she could see his face to ease her blank mind. When Itachi first mentioned him as the pervie lazy landlord Sakura had always imagined him wearing an apron but never doing any work but the sound of his voice interfered with her initial image and it just seemed plain silly to think of him as that way now.

"Did he now."

"Yes, he has...so it's really nice to finally meet you."

She reached out a hand and began to take a step forward to meet him, a tug at her sleeve prevented her from taking another step. She looked over her shoulder to see Itachi behind her his smoldering eyes ablaze with unease. She was having a hard time understanding his sudden uptight actions.

"Sakura-"

"Itachi...let me see the young lady, I won't bite but I can't say the same for most of us...men" He came out of the shadow just a bit to extend his bony hand towards her.

Reluctantly, Itachi release Sakura and she walked over to grab Kakashi's hand. As she neared him she could see a gleam of red from one of his eyes, like a flickering ember from a dying fire. She could make out half his face but not enough to get a good idea of what he looked like as a whole.

He took her hand as if it were a fragile little thing capable of cracking in his delicate hold, his fingers were marble smooth and chillier than outside. He pulled it into the darkness and a moment later she could feel his lips against her knuckles like frostbite. Her hand tingled and she grinned nervously. The gesture was so chivalrous that it took her by surprise momentarily. This was definitely the first hand kiss she had ever received and probably the last since it died out a thousand years ago...somewhere in the King Arthur era where it held more value than most of the affectionate gestures today.

"You smell delicious, like a lovely bouquet." he mused to himself, his voice was pleasant.

"Thanks...I use dove..." she said timidly and he laughed at that.

"Dove." he scoffed in his relaxed tone that had already began to sooth Sakura into feeling comfortable. He reminded her of a long lost uncle or someone who embodied serenity in every way.

"Yes, as in soap...as in something you've lost faith in a long time ago."

Kakashi laughed bitterly at Itachi's humor and then dropped Sakura's hand.

"I am what I am" he said softly."No sense in playing pretend, how many times are you going to pretend...how many times am I going to have to clean up your mess."

"...mess?" Sakura asked, looking back at Itachi whom shrugged as though he was just as bewildered as herself.

"There wont be a mess, things are...different and I'd rather not talk about this right now."

"Hm, that's all I ever hear you say..." Kakashi responded gravely and then sighed heavily as if everything was too big of a burden to carry. "You're right, this isn't the place nor the time...we'll discuss this later...it was nice meeting you...Sakura, take care of yourself...there are a lot of things in the woods that bite."

It sounded as if he were giving her a warning rather than wishing her well, his voice had this way of both frightening and inviting her. She tried not to think too much about the awkward way they were talking right in front of her but she figured it had nothing to do with her. How could it? Most of the conversation didn't seem to imply anything about her.

"Ok...thanks...Hatake Kakashi."

"No need to address me that way, just Kakashi...I'm not as old as you think..."

"...but you're old enough."

Sakura jabbed Itachi for being insolent behavior and he grunted with aggravation, his fingers pressed tenderly against the dip in her lower back and she felt unsteady, like jello.

"ok..Kakashi." Sakura tried out the name, she bowed her head slightly, Kakashi's shadow mimicked her motion and she strained her eyes hoping to catch a good glimpse. Itachi took her hands in his and began to usher her away, he seemed to be very uncomfortable, stiff as if at any moment something would explode when he took a step.

"Let's get out of here...it's getting late and it takes awhile for my place to heat up."

"Mmk."

"Later, tachi..."

"Yeah...later."


	3. BathMate

"Irasshai, Sakura." _Welcome home, Sakura._

Itachi greeted in his quiet husk, pushing the shabby cabin door in with ease. He stepped aside for Sakura and she rolled her eyes at how content he seemed just to say that. She took a step inside the dimly lit atmosphere and immediately clung to the smothering heat, letting it unthaw her numb flesh.

She took in several tiny details and although she hated to compare she realized that Itachi had kept his habitat much more homely than Kakashi had. She felt a sense of belonging here, as though this hadn't been her first time stepping through this door. She knew it was ridiculous to think as much but she couldn't fight the feeling of familiarity.

There was furniture, bear pelts stretched across the ground like a rug, dishes hung from a peg in the kitchen above the sink and the round table for two sat in between the living room and kitchen. Just as the last cabin she had been in, there had been a debatable amount of space, like the cabins were only meant to house a single human being rather than a family.

"Just when I was beginning to think I'd freeze to death..." she mused, rubbing her hands together, a moment later she huffed her hot breath on them.

"Get your butt inside...you're letting the cold in.." he complained softly ushering her inside, his heated fingers pressed against her lower back, awakening a feeling in her chest that emanated even more heat. Every he touched her, her body felt like a symptom of horny. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to stand her ground if something should happen.

It was easy to say that she wasn't weak but it would be harder once the heat enveloped her completely.

She quickly stepped away from him, trying to prove her maturity, she wouldn't be some easy girl, that was too predictable.

Itachi didn't seem to notice her unease. From the spark in his eyes she knew he had read it as her being eager to be warm. He gave her a lingering look that she quickly dejected, twisting around to find the source of the heat. It had been hard just to turn away from him, since the moment they began talking she always wondered what it would be like to look into his eyes and watch his lips curl into that smile.

_This is tormenting..._

He was nothing she could ever imagine. Like a dark angel bound to the earth. His dark raven hair was so long and thick, his voice so inviting and concerned, it was unreal to meet up with someone so...so...

_Sexy..._

It made her think that he must have flaws, too many, she could handle a few but she had a feeling he would have more than a few.

She scolded herself for thinking horribly about him that way. She pinched her arm and found the fireplace.

"Take off whatever you want...this is a friendly zone, if you catch my drift." he teased from somewhere too far off behind her. She smirked and continued to rub her palms together, placing them to her lips she stared into the fire. The flames danced angrily, chewing at the remnants of charred logs.

Her heart throbbed in her chest and she looked over her shoulder to see him shedding his jacket and placing it on the table, along with her duffle bag. His dark hair fell around his shoulders and back, obscuring his face from her invasion.

"This is nice..." she called out breathlessly.

He scoffed.

"I'm sure you've seen better, Konoha shit's on this place."

"Say what you will but...out of the two cabins I've seen today this is the better."

His eyes found hers and she didn't dare break it this time. His eyes were hooded, intense, she matched his for a moment before taking a shaky breath and closing her eyes.

"You never told me...how you found me at the subway station."

She could see his lips curl derisively, his eyes were blacker than coal when they touched hers again.

"Just a lucky gamble.." he answered carelessly.

"What if it wasn't me."

"Than I'd go home with a girl regardless." he bragged.

Sakura took a few steps towards him, pinching at her forearm instinctively, her heart thrashing wildly behind it's cage.

"Are you thirsty?...sleepy?...I rarely have a guest over so my apologies in advance if I forget that you have need's as well."

The pale light from candles cast shadows on his face, the light danced in his abyssal eyes and she nodded her head at him.

"I'll make sure you don't forget...my needs."

He smiled and held out his hand for her to take.

"Let me show you the rest of the cave."

She hesitated feeling like things could escalate within the blink of an eye. Itachi's eyes scanned her face thoroughly and he apprehended her hand as though it belong to him.

"I'd never hurt you.." he assured her, the honesty in his eyes were overwhelming. "...unless you wanted me to."

She chuckled and squeezed his hot fingers.

"It's not that...I'm just, I'm a little tired...and I feel a little dirty too, I could use a hot shower."

It had been true. Sneaking out of the house and running away was harder than it seemed. She had to make sure she and her mother wouldn't cross paths the entire day and than she had to talk herself into sticking with her plan. There were plenty of times where she wanted to go back but something profound kept telling her that it wasn't an option, it almost felt like she could never go back home. Before she knew it she was just standing in the subway, having just bought a one way ticket to a place people were trying to escape.

Itachi furrowed a brow.

"There are no such things as a showers in U. V..."

She frowned.

"You're kidding..."

"I'm glad I'm not. The look on your face...it should have it's own show. Follow me, I'll show you how we get clean here."

"Where are we going."

"The woods."

Her blood froze. Why in the name of everything sane would they go into a place that didn't guarantee warmth or scenery. If he was talking about the same woods she had seen, the tour wouldn't be very pleasant but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself.

"O...k." She figured that he wouldn't lead her anywhere without reason.

* * *

***bonus chapter***

_It wasn't fair._

It wasn't fair that he was so sexy, so tempting. Waiting for her to give him an invitation to tear off her clothes and she was afraid, that she was weak enough to invite him.

_God dammit it's so hot out here..._

He was leading her to the hot spring behind his cabin, she could hear him giving her history about the place but all she could think about was his broad shoulders and his fingers. She wondered how it would feel to be groped by those strong callous fingers or how it would feel to mount him in bed. She was appalled by her thoughts, she was never the one to think of sex but now it was a reoccurring thought. Repeating in her mind like a broken record.

The moon was deep and pale, full to the rim and hovering over the shivering night was silent, lulling nature to sleep.

The blue tint of the city was still visible but it wasn't as creepy as it had been to her before, it actually seemed to belong in this dark depressing place. Twigs broke like bones beneath the soles of her feet and she could hear something howl longingly in the distance. Itachi looked over his shoulder to check for her proximity. He smirked cockily at the frightened look on her face and held out his hand for her to take. She stared at it and then back up at him.

"Coyotes." he stated as if knowing what the beast was would make her less afraid. She swallowed hard and clutched his hand.

"Out here...?"

He nodded.

"Well not here...probably in the mountains over there..." He tilted his head towards her and began to laugh at the expression she gave him. He seemed rewarded by it, as if it were the best gift anyone could ever give.

Fear.

"Relax Sakura...the Coyotes are chicken shit here, the pray can't hunt the predator..."

He smirked a little and squeezed her hand.

"...Oh, so does that mean you and Kakashi...hunt?"

He nodded.

"Something like that...care to join?"

"No, I don't believe in killing animals...that's pretty savage don't you think...do you do it for sport?"

He seemed to struggle with that question but shrugged.

"Sakura, the animals here are wild and the way it works here is kill or be killed...?"

Sakura allowed him to usher her into a throng of high gangly trees that seemed as if they'd fall at any second. She looked up at them in awe, she had never seen trees so tall, lichen and dark.

"Watch your head." he cautioned, ducking under a fallen tree propped on top of a boulder blocking the way and Sakura followed suite.

The sound of water touched her ears, bubbling and rippling, plummeting peacefully like a spray of rain. When she turned she could see the area lit with light beige paper lanterns tied to the trees that bordered the spring.

The moonlight hovered directly over the transparent steamy water. Vapors hung in the air and Sakura shivered from the scene, it was beautiful as it was no doubt contrived to be.

She looked over at Itachi, this habitat brought out his stunning features. His dark hair and eyes made him seem like the prince of darkness as if he were conceived in this very Forrest. He was pulling his shirt up over his head, his hair cascading down his body in a mess.

"I thought I was the one taking a bath..." She said to him, hugging the maroon towel he had given her before they left the cabin.

She stared at his body, his lean form chiseled and sinuous. She blushed against her own will and turned away trying to ignore her urges.

"Why should you get mulled alone..." he joked. "...it's big enough for the two of us...and if you want I won't even watch you undress."

"Gee thanks..." She murmured, she looked over her shoulder and as he had promised he wasn't watching her but she couldn't take her eyes off him.

"Well that's no fair...you can watch me but I can't watch you." He said softly in that thunderous voice of his.

Sakura quickly turned away.

"I don't know what you're talking about.."

_How did he know.._

Her heart stammered, she had never been in the tub with anyone other than a rubber duckie nor had she ever showered with a man before. She had been curious once before with her other boyfriends but was never brave enough to ask. For some reason she always felt like the perv with thoughts like these.

_Little did I know that some of them would have probably liked those thoughts..._

She sighed.

_I was a late bloomer._

"Having trouble...I see your still wearing clothes."

Hot violent water touched her ankles and she jumped away from the feeling and addressed the direction it came from.

He was standing there, waist deep but turned away from her as if he hadn't done a thing. His back was wet, tears of water running down his shoulder blades and spine. The moon had bathed him in it's luminous gaze.

Sakura gave an irritated growl and began to absentmindedly strip out of her clothes, if he wanted to play a game she'd play with him.

Heart beating through her ears, body both cold and hot. She allowed her silky panties to slip down her legs and she tip toed to the edge of the water. She dipped her toe in and then kicked a wave of water at his head.

He ducked and swam away nimbly.

Sakura chuckled.

"That's what I thought." She teased feeling a bit insecure and silly she fled into the cover of the spring to hide her naked flesh. The water was wonderfully hot, not luke warm but the kind of hot that you could feel in your blood.

She sighed, feeling relaxed and held herself just as Itachi emerged from the other end. He was looking at her but she could care less, she was neck deep in the spring, bending her knee's so that she could hide herself.

She grabbed her soap and began to lather the spongy.

Smoke rose around them as if they were bathing in a cloud and she turned away from Itachi, baring her back. She stood straight up and began to wash herself.

He scoffed.

"It's unique...how much you've grown?" he stated quietly. "...I remember you complained about your lack of curves and the wire in your teeth."

Sakura sighed at that dreadful memory and rolled her eyes.

"Braces..."

"Yeah those things." he mused.

She kept her back turned towards him.

"In some cultures...baring your back to a male means that you trust him to guard you and protect you, you're putting your life in his hands and offering up yourself to him...as his mate?" He inquired, though his tone suggested that he was being condescending.

She moved her mouth to speak but not a moment too soon she could feel his breath against her neck suddenly, just before his fingers touched her fingers beneath the water and he took the spongy from her hands, the soap bar from the other hand.

She froze and tried to breathe steadily.

"Never heard of it, sounds like bullshit to me...or a really bad way of flirting."

He chuckled and then she felt her spongy on her back, she could feel the suds gliding down her spine.

"Why would I lie?"

"To trick women into bed of course, that is your intention isn't it..."

She whispered, her tongue felt heavy in her mouth than she intended. Seductive, she didn't know she possessed such a tone.

He smirked and pressed the spongy against her neck, lingering there before sweeping it down her back intimately.

"I have plenty intentions but you will probably be the only women...I've ever had to trick into bed." His voice was throaty...sexy, she could feel his fingers sliding up her back, the spongy at her shoulder.

He let out an impatient breath.

"I'm not going into anyone's bed..." she was feeling weak, feeling vulnerable and risky and mysterious, like a new women who could control a man with the sound of her voice or the way she moved her limbs.

"You're right because you'll be in mine, I'll break out the air mattress."

He said slipping the spongy down her body and then slowly back up.

"Itachi..."

"Ya."

She closed her eyes, she could feel something burning beneath the surface of her flesh, something stirring beneath her skin but unable to break away from her logical thinking from her moral which ran deeper than any desire.

"Do you bring women out here...a lot?"

He was silent for a moment but eventually spoke again.

"...at one point..."Sakura felt a sting in her chest but ignored it.

"What point was this?" She inquired, arching her back when she felt him tracing the curve of her spine with the spongy.

"...way before I met you...Sakura, I was much younger and I craved certain luxuries."

Sakura laughed.

"That's the first I've ever herd someone call sex a luxury."

"It wasn't just sex that I craved."

"...but you admit sex was involved."

"I'm a man...there's not much I can restrain if the other person is giving it away for free.."

That shut her up.

"It get's lonely here. I craved company, I wanted a partner, a soul mate."

"So does everyone else in this world...just look at my mom...she left my dad for a man who doesn't even remember their anniversary."

Itachi only grunted, he handed her back the spongy and sighed. She could hear him retreating to land.

"You've told me about him..."

"You mean I ranted to you about him."

"Same difference." he teased.

"So...how many women did you have sex with?" she found herself blurting out and then mentally kicking herself for being so rude.

His brows raised and she could tell he was trying to think of some way to avoid the answer.

"For someone who doesn't want to be in my bed tonight you sure do ask a lot of questions about it."

She rolled her eyes.

"Just fess up..."

He shrugged.  
_  
_"I don't even know...twenty-two...fifty." he admitted staring at her face. Sakura grimaced.

"That bad huh..."

He tilted his head.

"I've never seen reason to count, sex is just sex to me...we get what we want out of it and move on thinking we've quenched our thirst but it always comes back and we always want more...I always want more."

He confessed looking up at the moon, something strange escaped his throat almost like a whimper but she was certain she was being paranoid now. Sleep was doing strange things to her.

_Am I just another one of those girls_

she wanted to ask, worried about the 'mistakes' Kakashi had mentioned earlier.

Itachi's hair was damp and matted around his face, his body soaking wet, there was just something about him that seemed vaguely familiar. There was another howl in the distance and Itachi looked over in the direction it came from.

"Well I'm going to go prepare your room, haven't had a guest in years so the rooms don't look like anything you'd be used to, we can't all afford four walls like the people in Konoha."

She smiled.

"I don't mind...as long as there's a lock to keep you out it'll do."

He smirked sinfully, hands buried in his pockets.

"Sakura...there is no door on earth that will keep me from you." he informed her almost as if he were reciting a promise. "...enjoy your bath...bathmate."


End file.
